♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ narrator: funding for presentation of this program is provided by.. the freeman foundation. by judy and peter blum-kovler foundation. pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. and by contributions to this pbs station from viewers like you, thank you. woman: and now, "bbc world news". headline -- the headlines.

president biden warns the country's economy is still in trouble. bu promises to take swift action on covid relief as americans reach when he calls breaking point. >> i believe the american people e looking to their government for help, to do their job, not let them down. so i'm going to act fast. >> the u.k. government says it is on track to offer a coronavirus vaccine to everyone over 50 by may. russia expels diplomats fr three eu countries after accusing them of taking part in protests last month against the jailing of alexey navalny. ♪ christopher plummer, best known for his role in the sound of music, has that at the age of 91. -- "the sound of music," has died at the age of 91 years old. ♪

hello. president biden has said the latest monthly jobs report shows that u.s. economy is still in trouble. as it remains in the teef the pandemic. at one point -- a $1.9 trillion to millis package would help the vaccination efforts and alleate american suffering. speaking with the treasury, janet yellen, and vice presiden harris by his side, mr. biden appealed to congressional republicans to act urgently, to turn his coronavirus relief measures into law. he said it would keep families out of poverty and prevent long-term economic damage to the nati. >> i see enormous pain in this country. a lot of folks out of work. a lot of folks going hungry, staring at the ceiling and night -- at night wondering what i'm going to do tomorrow. a lot of folks trying to figure out how to keep their jobs and

take care of their children. a lot of folks reaching the breaking point. suicides are up. mental health needs are increasing. violence against women and children is increasing. a lot of folks are losing hope. and i believe the american people are looking right now to their government for help to do our job, to not let them down. so i'm going to act. and i'm going to act fast. >> that was president biden speaking earlier. we spoke to our washington correspondentgary o'donoghue, to hear what he thought about what the president had to say. reporter: well, it is pretty tough talk. it is pretty determined talk about his covid relief package, his $1.9 trillion. but in the midst of that, there's clearly room for maneuver. he'd wanted to get republican support for this. at the moment, he doesn't have

that. but they are not closing the door on that. some of the things sounding particularly tough, the one point in trillion dollars, he says he is not going to go lower -- $1.9 trillion, he says he is not going to go low, sounding tough on the things he can sou tough on, while aowing for some wiggle room elsewhere. but clearly, they believe the jobs numbers today give them a bigger argument, if you like, a wider argument for pushing something through on this scale. when august the a lot of republicans have argued for something a lot smaller -- when obviously the republicans have argued for something a lot smaller. >> the latest figures in the u.k. show almost half the population, 32 million people, should be vaccinated against coronavirus by may. the government says it expects all adults over the age of 50 as well as the clinically vulnerable and those working in

health and social care to receive their first job by then. the u.k.'s medicine regulator ys the latest research shows side effects from all the approved vaccines are minor and do not last long. as cases continued to fall, politicians are divided over how soon restrictions should be lifted. here is our medical editor. reporter: this is an immunition production line. a race because. they are doing 1000 covid jobs today. -- jabs today. the government, confident they will reach the target of vaccinating those in the 70's and health workers by february. >> we want to be able to offer the vaccine to all over 50 by make. there's a lot of things we want to -- by may. there's a lot of things we've got to get right to hit that goal. august supply is a most difficult for all of those -- obviously supply is the most difficult of all of those. reporter: new data confirms

side effects from covid vaccines are mostly mild, which should reinforce public confidence. the 70 and 80 some things were taking it all in stride. >> i rarely ever have side effects with any vaccine, so i am not expecting any. >> she is perfectly ok afterward. i'm not concerned. >> it doesn't hurt. i feel so secure now. >> medical regulators are constantly monitoring covid vaccine safety. they have analyzed one point six million doses given up to january. there were 22,820 reports of suspected side effects, which equates to about three per thousand doses. the vast majority were mild and included sore arms, headaches,

tiredness, or fever that generally lasted a couple of days. >> there were no unexpected serious or adverse reactions, so the benefits of the covid-19 vaccines far outweigh the risks. anyone should not hesitate. you can be confident these are very safe vaccines. reporter: paul medicines, including vaccines, can cause side effects. so the results of this safety monitoring are very reassuring. for those who have had their covid jab, and for the tens of millions of us yet to get our invite. new research shows the oxford-astrazeneca vaccine protects well against the more contagious variant. but new variants are inevitable, so the government signed up with the german biontech to develop future vaccines to try to keep pace in the arms race against a virus.

>> elsewhere in europe, spanish health authorities have limited the use of the oxford astrazeneca virus for those under the age of 55. the move echoes rlier decisions by a growing number of countries that have restricted the vaccines' distribution despite agencies approving its use late last week for all adults. a shortfall of deliverance from astrazeneca have forced the eu to recalibrate the vaccination strategy. russia has announced the expulsion of diplomats from sweden, germany, and poland. accusing them of taking part in illegal protts last month. against the jailing of the kremlin critic, alexey navalny. but sweden has denied this. a statement from the swedish foreign minister says we refuse russia's claims that mr.

navalny participated in the dumbest rations. he was jailed fory leading his parole conditions and was back in court today, this time come on separate defamation charges. it comes as the eu's top diplomat is in moscow, the first visit by a senior eu envoy since 2017. speaking before the expulsions were announced, he said he called for mr. navalny's release. >> my visit coincides with the rest of the sentencing of alexey navalny. and the arrest of 1000 -- and the arrest of thousands of demonstrators. we will reiterate our appeal for his release on the launch of an investigation of his poisoning. >> in response, the russian foreign minister criticized the european union as an unreliable

partner because of its threat to impose sanctions on moscow, following the imprisonment of mr. navalny. >> we have become used to the fact that the eu is increasingly resorting to unilateral restrictions or have no legitimate basis. we are going on with our lives on the assumption that eu is an unreliable -- that the eu is an unreliable partner, least of this country. >> well our moscow correspondent says the timing of the expulsions announced by moscow was not coincidence. >> quite a message to the eu, mo broadly, from russia's foreign ministry. this was announced during the meeting but was only made public afterward. if he came here with a strg message for russia, telling the foreigninistry the eu condemns the treatment of alexey navalny calling for his release, saying there must be an independent investigation into his

poisoning. what he got in response was a big shrug from sergey lavrov during the press conference following the meeting itself. then the statement said diplomatfrom three european countries being expelled straightaway allegedly for attending april-navalny protest on the -- a pro-navalny protest. of course, the countryies involved -- the countries involved said these were unfounded claims, but it is very strange, very interesting signaling from russia. trying to focus at least to some extent on the areas in which they could cooperate. >> we are just going to bring you some news that's come to us, concerning a conversation that's been had we do the prime minister, boris johnson, who has had a conversation with french president, emmanuel macron. the leaders discussed the fight

against coronavirus, emphasizg the important role world leaders will play in making sure vaccines are rolled out effectively and also agreeing a succesul vaccination program will require collaboration between governments. boris johnson, also outlining the uk's priority regarding g7 and its presidency. including working together to build back from the pandemic. and also, climate change, tackling climate change, ahead november. going on to say, the prime minister come also welcoming the agreement of the eu trade deal in december, saying the department from the eu offered a huge opportunity to deepen and widen bilateral relationships with france and the leaders are

looking forward to working together to realize that particular opportunity. finally, also discussing international issues, including iran, yemen, libya, and russia, green european leadership from the u.k., france, and others continues to be instrumental in making the world safer. and more secure. finally, green cooperation -- agreeing cooperation remains crucial in tackling the challenges ahead. that is coming to us from downing street, following a call with president macron. u.k. ministers have defended the plan to quarantine travelers and hotels when they rurn to britain -- and hotels when they return to britain -- in hotels when they return to briin starting february 15. passengers arriving from 33 countries will have to stay in a hotel for 10 nights in their own expense -- at their own expense. the scheme should be extended to all international travelers. here is our transport correspondent, carolyn davis. reporter: running a covert

secure hotel is not business as usual. on top of cleaning, and air purifying machines, this hotel reassessed all safety protocols and finally got insurance to have covid positive guests stayin here. >> it took us three month of satisfying our insurers with all the risk assessments and method statementso get this in place. do i think they will be able to turn around 10 days? i doubt it very much. reporter: this is the sort of room quarantine guests could stay in. according to the guidelines, quarantine wld last for 11 days. the hotel would have to provide three meals and en suite facilities. guests staying here would have to covid tes during the course of their stay. some of the guidance has been questioned. the corridors of this hotel are monitored by cctv. the guidelines to say ifou want to go out for a breath of fresh air, or for a cigarette, you can, you just need to be accompanied by security. as well as being time-consuming,

this hotel er is not convinced it would be safe. >> however raleigh just -- our virologists would not allow it. >> they don't ow if it will be chosen by the government. quarantine hotels have been in place in australia since march of 2020. welcome, everyone. i am so happy -- >> last week, they spent two weeks in a hotel room, teaching online yoga classes. >> we don't have a balcony or window that opens. it is not the bt. it also costs money to puus in a hotel. >> their stay costs nearly 1900 pounds. the u.k. estimate is currently just over 1000 pounds. but some hotels are already warning it could cost more. there are no official guidelines yet prayer lies --

yet for airlines and airports. they are tested before their bus to the hotel. the uk's procedures are unlikely to look like this, but there are stillstions. today, heathrow airport set our offer to support means the time is ticking and this is a complex initiative. another spokesperson said no formal contracts have been agreed yet. it was vital the government got this right from the start. there is now just over a week unti this is to begin and the first guests arrive. >> do stay with us here on bbc news. still to come, we will be looking back on the life of the actor, christopher plummer, who died at age 91. ♪ the government has been quarantine people arrivin the u.k.. the scheme, due to begin in 10 days time. people traveling from countries

with high infection rates will have to stay at hotel at their own expense in an effort to control the spread. -- the spread of new variants of coronavirus. the schemeuld extend to all international travelers, but the health secretary says every care will be taken to ensure the right people will be quarantined as laid out by the british government. >> we will be vigilant in makin sure that the hotel quarantine we are introducing applies to the right countries, where we see the new variants. we have a program to have surveillance across the world good working with international partners to make sure we can spot where these variants pop up, like brazil and south africa, can make sure we can keep people here safe with any hotel quarantine -- with the new hotel quarantine. ♪ >> 's catch up with sports

here on bbc news. >> the england captain will be building on his 128 unbeaten streak on saturday. he became the third englishman to score 100 and his 100 -- and his 100 tests -- in his 100 tests. >> i need to make sure i cash in on it. over the course of my career, i've not always made really big scores. i need to be -- doing that currently is really pleasing. the challenge would be, i've got to keep making it, we are going to win more games if i do that. >> there's been a frank exchange of views in news conferences on

friday. they say the expected better than to engage in mind games. he said just a covid outbreak in the city led to the game being postponed. >> we didn't have a break. sydney had a two week break for covid reasons. it is really tough. it's a tough year, tough season. i know for some teams, it looks like lester. -- lesser. for us, for the reasons you know, it is tough. >> he knows it is not true. come on. nobody in the premier league has two weeks off. i didn't expect he would do it. i didn't think he was the type of guy. but if he did it, ok. maybe it was wrong. >> the big game is on sunday. the six nations begins

against this weekend. saturday, it is italy. defend their title against scotland and the calcutta cup -- in the calcutta cup. >> to fully appreciate the story behind the teams, you have to hit rewind for some time. it's been thrilling. sometimes boring. until this year, it's ever been quiet. remove the atmosphere, perhaps you can also remove some of the history. scotland has not won there since 1983. >> it sets an opportunity. it is an opportunity, you can't deny it. you have to take the opportunity. it becomes more of a neutral venue. you've got to make sure they play rugby. not wait for anyone to help you. >> townsend's confidence has a solid base. scotland won the last three

matches in the six nations. although they face the champions, england may have a coat of one to rest. -- coat of winter rust. their coaches will warmed up -- their coach, though, is well warmed up. >> it is the most important game of the year. they are playing for trophies. . that is a huge expectation for them. with 15 minutes to go in the game, the x will get pretty heavy for them. >> both sides will deal with a different sort of pressure. one from within and not imparted from the stands. the calcutta cup, although weirdly empty, it can never feel hollow. >> england versus scotland in the six nations tomorrow. that is all the sports for now. back to you. >> thank you very much. esident biden has endorsed the

effort to return to the moon, initiated under his predecessor, donald trump. the program plans to land the first woman in the next man on the moon by 2024. let'siscuss this further with a senior writer at space.com. thank you for joining us here on bbc news. it's taken 50 years. why return to the moon? >> well, this is primarily an effort to prepare ourselves for taking that big next leap, to go to mars. that is what the program is ultimately leading toward. teaching us all the skills and techniques needed to actually send astronauts to mars, which they want to doing the 2030's. -- which they want to do in the 20 30's. >> do they have money for this? who was involved -- who is involved? how much is it costing? >> cut is always a big question, do we have enough money?

there's a bit of a budget battle going. -- the previs a ministration asked for $3.3 billion just to help develop the landing system that would get people down under the moon. but the only got about $850 million from congress. which appropriate funds. that throws t timeline in question. we don't know if 2024 is a viable goal. what we have just heard from the biden administration is that they do support the program. it givess confidence it is going to happen. maybe not by 2024, but it is going to happen. >> how many missions are there to take place before they set foot on the moon? >> there are two test flights that are going to come, scheduled for 2021, later this year, and 2023. that 2023 mission will send us routes around the moon. that will be the first crude mission. then 2024 is when they will actually touch down.

if it happens on that timeline, like i said. >> thank youery much. now the canadian actor, christopher plummer, best known for his role as captain von trapp in the oscar-winning musical, "the sound of music," has died at his home in connecticut at the age of 91. his manager said he touched all our hearts through his art and humanity. we look back on his life. >> ♪ these are a few of my favorite things ♪ reporter: christopher plummer, the noble captain von trapp, his heart, melted by music and fraulein maria. >> hello? >> did i not tell you bedtime is to be strictly -- reporter: the singingay have been deep, he brought dignity to

the story. while "the sound of music" main him an icon, he famously called it the sound of mucus. >> we all joked about the signed of music -- we all joked about "the sound of music." in order to avoid being sentimental and coy, you have to see the funny side of it. reporter: he was born in canada to a wealthy family. he was drawn to the stage. >> you told me once you never heard the gods laughing. reporter: that worked in big-screen epics. like "the fall of the roman empire." he proved he could play complex characters. >> don't you know me? no. -- no. reporter: in his 80's, he picked

up an oscar, because a man coming out of the end of his life. >> where did you get these? repoer: and became the oldest ever know many, playing john for getting -- john paul getty. >> the great struggle in life is coming to grips with what that price is. ♪ reporter: christopher plummer, a huge presence on stage and screen for more than 60 years. famous for the one part he hated, but master of so many others. >> christopher plummer, who has died at the e of 91. you are watching bbc news. the's plenty more coming up. you can catch me on social media. narrator: fundinfor presentation of this program is provided by.. the freeman foundation. by judy and peter blum-kovler foundation.

pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. and by contributions to this pbs station from viewers like you, thank you. ♪ ♪ man: you're watching pbs. hilty: where do i begin about my love for pbs? having both of my children, two very young children, "daniel tiger" is on because they learn so much from it. every major emotional thing that young children have to go through, daniel has a song associated with that. ♪ daniel: take a deep breath ♪ (inhales deeply) ♪ and count to four. ♪ ♪ hilty: pbs is the jewel of television and i feel like we're all better off for having it in our lives.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ narrator: funding for presentation of this program is provided by.. the freeman foundation. by judy and peter blum-kovler foundation. pursuing solutions for america's neglecteeds. and by contributions to this pbs station from viewers like you, thank you. woman: and now, "bbc world news". correspondent: this